IntroductionThe idea of the Sherlock Holmes Pipe Smoker of the Year Award was
introduced to the club by club member Dock J. Perry after hearing that
the Pipe Smoker of the Year Award in Britian had been discontinued for
political reasons. A vote was taken to adopt this tradition into the club
and received a favorable vote by the majority. The following is a guideline
for conducting this process.

CriteriaThe following criteria should be considered when making your choice
for the member who is most worthy of this award. In most cases the recipient
of this award will be an SHPC club member that meets any or all of the
following criteria. However, the club may choose to honor a non SHPC member
whose actions also meet these criteria and/or have a direct effect on
the Club.

The Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club Pipe Smoker of the Year should be:

One who's actions or contributions to the club, past or present, and/or
to the hobby as a whole have been beneficial to the overall morale and
prosperity of the club.

One who’s actions or contributions were instrumental in allowing the
art and/or the hobby of pipe smoking, pipe making, pipe collecting or
the notoriety of the Club to gain increased positive recognition, especially
in these times of negative smoking campaigns and anti smoking laws.

The Voting Process A determination by members in attendance will be made as to which
month of the year the voting for the SHPC Pipe Smoker of the Year will
take place. This year (2004) the month of July has been chosen for the
voting with the awards to be presented during the September meeting which
is the Club’s 15th Anniversary. All members are highly encouraged
to attend the meeting on the day the voting will take place.

The voting will proceed as follows:

Only members in attendance during the vote may participate.

Any member may reserve their right not to participate in the
vote or to accept the award (however, this is highly discouraged).

The voting will be done by secret ballot. Members will write down
their choice on a ballot form and place it in the ballot box.

Two members will be designated to count the votes in privacy. The
actual vote counts determined for any member should not be revealed
to anyone at any time.

After tallying the votes, the member who receives the most votes will
be named the SHPC Pipe Smoker of the Year.

Should more than one member have the same number of votes without
a winner being determined, a run off vote will be held the following
month.

Promoting Your Candidate
Should a run off vote be necessary, members who feel strongly about a
particular member receiving the award may choose to submit their thoughts
to the Secretary for inclusion in the following month’s newsletter and
prior to the final vote.

The Run-Off VoteThe run off vote will be held in the same basic manner as the initial
vote. Members in attendance will submit their vote for one (1) of the
candidates chosen in the previous vote. The member with the highest number
of votes will be named the winner.
In the event of another tie, the names of the members with the tie votes
will be placed into the ballot box and the President or designee will
select one vote from the box and name that member the SHPC Pipe Smoker
of the Year.

The AwardUnless otherwise determined, the PSOTY Award will be presented at
the September meeting. The member chosen for the Sherlock Holmes Pipe
Smoker of the Year Award will receive the following:

The winner’s meal will be paid for on the night of the actual vote.

A framed SHPC Pipe Smoker of the Year Certificate of Award.

A plaque displaying the names of all winners of this award. Each winner’s
name and year of award will be engraved on a separate brass plate. The
winner will proudly display this plaque in his/her home or office for
the entire year but must turn it in at the end of his/her award year
so that it may be handed over to the next recipient of the award.